As Goa recently hosted the 43rd International Film Festivalof India (IFFI), it welcomed a lot of Cinephiles from across the world. Wetried to narrow down the audience and had a brief chat with actor Neetu Chanda,film critic Nandita Dutta and photographer Saurabh Dalvi “ all Mumbaikars.
Apart from catching up on films from across the world asplanned by our three Mumbaikars, Neetu attended the fest as her film Deswa wasselected at Indian Panorama. “I adore the festival to a great extent. Theefforts put in to get the films to our very own Goan land is tremendous anddefinitely worth appreciating. This in turn gives Goan artistes good exposureand scope to interact with reputed personalities from the very same industry,”says Saurabh who was born and brought up in Goa, but is currently residing inMumbai.
While Saurabh managed to watch just one documentary film TheTiger Dynasty as he was shooting throughout IFFI, Nandita chose MichaelHaneke's Amour which had won the Golden Palm at Cannes Film Festival 2012 asher favourite. She explained, “Amour is an extremely sensitive andnon-sentimental portrayal of old-age and includes terrific performances by theoctogenarian lead actors.” Lessons in Forgetting, directed by Unni Vijayan wasfavoured by Neetu. “The film,” she explains “is visually beautiful, intriguingand highlights female foeticide. Lessons in Forgetting is the best adaptationof literature.”
Apart from the obvious “ line-up of films, meetinglike-minded people, interacting with celebrities and enjoying Goan food “Nandita liked the “IFFI Ferries” that were introduced this year to carrydelegates from one venue to another. And to Neetu, the Film Bazaar was the bestpart about the film festival.
While majority feels that Goa is the best place to host IFFIbecause of the state’s tourist-friendly nature in terms of affordability, goodfood and transport, Neetu believes that festivals like IFFI should not be heldonly in Goa. She says, “IFFI is the only film festival by the government ofIndia. If IFFI is conducted in other parts of India, it will boost developmentof cinema as well as infrastructure.” On the contrary, Saurabh focuses on Goabeing a hotspot for film shoots. “With directors choosing Goa to shoot theirfilms, delegates get a chance to attend IFFI as well as get a glimpse ofshooting locations,” Saurabh explains.
Our three Mumbaikars managed to find time in between filmsto sight see famous tourist spots around Goa and also visit Goa’s famousbeaches like Baga beach and Calangute beach situated towards the north. Whenasked Neetu and Nandita if they wished they were Goans, the answer was “ yes!“I would have liked to be a Goan because of the sumptuous Goan food,” confessedNandita. On the other hand, Neetu was more in love with the beaches hugging oneof India’s top tourist destinations. She says, “If I was a Goan, I would liveclose to the beach, eat plenty of seafood and venture into the sea for a swim.”However, considering Saurabh is a Goan, he spent his non-IFFI time with familyand friends and capturing his motherland on his camera.
